Tradeoff
by Kida The Freak
Summary: When Casey Jones met April O'Neil, he was sure she was the girl for him. Then he saw her guardian angel. (Apritello OneShot, 2k12 verse, set after the episode "Target: April O'Neil")


**(Because this pairing is asdfghjkl adorable.)**

* * *

There were many signs that April O'Neil was no ordinary high school student.

For Casey Jones, his first clue was being chased by a slime monster with Red on his bike.

Okay, so it's New York. There are bound to be weirdos walking the streets at ungodly hours of the night. But Casey seriously doubted that even those weirdos could pull off a costume complete with acidic slime, let alone animate it. No, there was definitely something stranger going on in the trashed streets of the city. And he'd like to start with how the monster knew Red's name.

Scenarios and possibilities raced through Casey's head, new ideas springing up and morphing every waking moment. Even when he was asleep, his subconscious would get the better of him, and he'd be dreaming of slime creatures and not-so-ordinary redheads. It's not that he's scared; in fact, that couldn't be farther from the truth. He was curious, excited. Finally, what he had been searching so desperately for, an adventure practically throwing itself at his feet.

It was like the Percy Jackson series-yes, Casey _does_ read sometimes-and all of a sudden, thrust into a world with infinite possibilities, he has the chance to see things that few other have.

There's another thing about heroes that Casey admires. They get the girl.

Casey would never admit it, but he's pretty romantic at heart. If you'd dig through his DVDs, you'd find romantic-action movies tucked away in the cases for boring documentaries, movies that no one in their right mind would watch. He'd need a new tactic, though, if he ever brought home a girl fascinated by the mating seasons of black bears.

When April O'Neil came into the picture, dragging ooze monsters and robotic ninjas behind her, it was like an opening window in Casey's mind. She was a girl who knew how to stand her ground, a girl so stubborn but could still compromise in times of need. She was Red, and, in Casey's mind, she was perfect. He was sure she was the right kind of girl for him.

And then he saw her guardian angel.

It was all by chance really. April had never explained why those robots attacked her at the ice rink. Just as she had burst through the doors, he had taken down the last one, gloating in victory. The thrill of a fight-a real fight-rushed through his veins and into his head, and he had forgotten all about the reason _why_ the robots had attacked in the first place until he and April went their separate ways.

April turned left on the street, and Casey began walking right, a smile on his face. Oh yeah, life was just picking up! Fighting robots and monsters, saving the girl, and-April! Casey froze in his tracks, smacking himself on the forehead to scold his short memory. How could he have forgotten to ask her about those things? Casey turned and ran in the direction he saw April go, hoping he could still catch up to Red. He wouldn't let this adventure get away from him! He skidded around the corner, only to quickly duck back behind the alley wall again.

Casey's back pressed up against the brick, sides heaving from running. He bit his tongue, hoping that what was around the corner hadn't seen him. After a moment, when no footsteps were heard and a voice continued conversing with April's voice, Casey dared to peek around the alley wall.

He inhaled sharply, eyes widening at the sight. There, on the swings April had once tutored him on, swung two people, the one with red hair glinting in the light of the street lamp was obviously April. The other, well…

It-he-looked like a turtle, with olive skin and a shell, but gear such as belts and kneepads adorned his body. He also wore some kind of purple bandana on his face. He was kicking the swing back and forth, but he only swung high enough to keep his toes on the ground. He had an air of shyness around him, casting stealthy glances at April, as though he would be arrested if his gaze lingered too long. From where Casey could see, April was no stranger to those looks of adoration either, smiling slightly every time she felt his gaze on her.

_I was right_, Casey thought as he crouched down and scooted closer. There was definitely more to April O'Neil than met the eye.

Even as he watched, Casey could hear them talking in hushed tones, too quiet for him to make out their words. At one point, the turtle reached over to rest his hand on April's, sharing a look of sympathy and understanding before they both stood up. This time, they were loud enough for Casey to hear.

"Thanks, Donnie." April said, discreetly wiping at the corners of her eyes. "I don't know if… if you guys still want me around, after all I've said, but if you can forgive me…"

The turtle's face lit up slightly, and a hopeful expression came into his eyes.

"Then I'll see you at the lair?"

April smiled. "Yeah, see you at the lair."

Casey watched from around the corner as they waved goodbye, the turtle tripping over some trash with a flustered expression before he sung himself from the fire escapes and onto the roof, vanishing into the night. Casey's jaw dropped. A _ninja_ turtle. And just when he thought life couldn't get any more interesting.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard April grab her bag and start to walk, and Casey made a hasty retreat in the direction of home. He would just have to ask April about those ninjas another time.

For the next few weeks after that, Casey didn't miss the shadow on the rooftop that belonged to the mutant turtle known as "Donatello". Sometimes he would see him walking beside April with his brothers, other times he would watch from above, not letting Red know he was there to watch over her. He began to learn things about him, learn what made him tick. Donnie was good with machines, always coming up with some new trinket with which to capture April's attention. He was a thinker, a know-it-all, and he seriously liked April.

It made Casey a little jealous of Donatello. Not because Donnie liked April, but because April liked Donnie back in her own, discreet way. He had seen Donnie's picture in her phone, seen the way April looked back at him. This wasn't how things were supposed to go; He was the bad boy who caught her when she fell. He was the one with the cute nickname for her. And he was the one who was human.

When Casey's silent, secret irritation began to die down, it was like he could see clearly. He didn't know when he started letting go of his fantasies of dating April, but it felt like all his pent-up frustration towards Donnie's affections just evaporated one afternoon. He didn't know what made him start relaxing, but maybe it had something to do with how Donnie looked at her.

April was a neat girl, sure, but she was human. Even Casey knew humans had their limits. Apparently, Donatello was either uninformed about that, or he seriously believed that April could accomplish anything. Given the right training and motivation, of course; Don wasn't entirely blindly devoted. He looked up to her like she was some sort of goddess to worship, even after he saw her flaws. Casey didn't know how he could continue to see her in this light. Even _his_ illusions of April being perfect dimmed a little.

Don made her happy, too. Happier than their study sessions, that was for sure. Casey knew April liked him, but… Just as a friend. And he was beginning to be okay with that. Really.

_Maybe someday, Donnie_, Casey thought with a smile when he spotted the familiar shadow on the rooftop after another tutoring lesson_. Maybe someday April will introduce us, face-to-face, and then I can finally meet the one who truly makes her happy_.

After all, maybe it was about time the "Bad boy" let the nerd get the girl.


End file.
